A/N: This is my first stab at a Robin Hood fic, so bear with me here. Hope you enjoy it at least a little, and if you have any creative criticism, feel free to express it. Thanks for reading!

"I think the house is finally ready." Marian said as she looked around the room once again.

"You've gone over it with a fine tooth comb, my dear, I'm sure it's perfect." Edward replied with a fond smile.

"I just want everything to be as nice as possible for Sir Robert and Juliana." she said as she ran her finger over the mantle and checked for dust for the hundredth time that day.

"It is, Marian, it is." her father laughed. "It will be good to see them again after so long."

"Six years." Marian nodded. "I wonder why Sir Robert has decided to return."

"Business is all he said." he shrugged. "I never asked when I wrote him back."

"I don't understand why they left in the first place." Marian said softly. "It was horrible with Juliana gone."

"You two were great friends." her father agreed. "But, it was very hard for Robert when his wife died. He was left to care for five children on his own."

"He had a full staff." Marian argued.

"You're just pouting because when Sir Robert left, he took with him your best friend." her father teased.

"Well of course." Marian smiled. "But, they're back now. So all is forgiven."

"Sir." a servant said as he poked his head into the room. "Sir Robert's carriage is approaching."

"Thank you." Edward said. "Well, shall we greet our guests?" he asked as he offered his arm to his daughter.

"I've only been waiting a week since their letter came." Marian said with a laugh. "I wonder how much they have changed over the years."

"I'm sure he's still as kind a man as before, and Juliana just as sweet and lovely." Edward said as they walked out to meet the carriage.

"I hope so." Marian replied as the carriage rolled to a stop before them.

"Sir Robert!" Edward cried as the door opened and an elderly man stiffly made his way out.

"Edward." the man grumbled as one of his servants tried to help him down. "Get away you fool!" he snapped. "Damn imbecile."

"Father, please." a voice said from behind him.

"Don't 'father, please' me, young woman." Sir Robert snapped. "Been trapped in this damned carriage all day, and when we finally arrive, I'm just about man handled by one of my own men." he said as he stepped down and towards Edward and Marian, shoving the servant aside.

"He's a bit more brusque than I remember." Marian whispered to her father.

"So he is." Edward replied as he smiled to the cantankerous man. "It's so good to have you here finally." he said as he stepped forward to shake hands with the other man. "I do hope your journey wasn't too unpleasant."

"Oh no, of course not." Sir Robert said sarcastically. "Just been jostled about for the last three days, having to stay at inferior inns along the way, and then listening to my daughter apologize constantly for my behavior."

"You made the poor woman cry at the last inn." his daughter said as she allowed the now dusty servant to help her down from the carriage. "I saw no reason to be so rude."

Juliana stepped down and smoothed out her wrinkled skirts and nodded to the servant to begin unloading their luggage. She looked up to see Marian and Edward, and a smile spread across her pretty face.

"Marian!" she cried as she ran forward to hug her old friend. "You must forgive my father." she whispered into Marian's ear as they embraced. "He's not been the same since..."

"Do we have to stand outside all day?" Robert asked.

"No, of course not." Edward said, forcing a smile. "We've lunch ready in the house."

"Good." Robert said as he and Edward headed inside. "Food at those damned inns was just disgusting. And I thought the cook Juliana hired was bad enough..."

"He's a bit different than what I remember." Marian said as nicely as possible as she and Juliana followed at a distance.

"As I was saying." Juliana said with a sigh. "He's not been himself since he's starting having those attacks, not to mention the gout."

"Well hopefully being back here will help brighten his spirits a bit." Marian said hopefully. "I want to hear all about what you've been up to all this time."

"I've written you letters." Juliana laughed. "I'd think you'd be sick of hearing of those things by now."

"Of course not." Marian said.

The two young women stopped so Marian could give further instructions to the servants as to where to put their guest's luggage. Juliana moved aside and spoke to one her own servants and Marian observed her as she did so.

Juliana was only twelve when she and her father and three of her brothers had left. She had been a short, skinny and very shy child. But now, though she was still a bit short, she had lost that awkwardness she once had.

She moved gracefully, her black hair pulled up and piled neatly on top of her head, her green dress was very nicely made and she wore it beautifully. She still had such lovely eyes, that hadn't changed. Juliana always hated her light brown eyes, saying how boring they were, but Marian had loved them. They always seemed to be changing colors, depending on what Juliana had chosen to wear at any given moment.

"It's not nice to stare." Juliana said when she turned around. "I would have thought your father would have taught you that."

"I'm sorry." Marian laughed. "You just look so different."

"It's been six years." Juliana pointed out. "A lot has changed in that time. More than you can imagine." she added, her voice becoming a bit dark as she spoke.

"Juliana!" Sir Robert's voice boomed. "I need my tonic."

"Coming, father." she called back in a sing-song voice. "Once the old man is out, you're going to have to fill me in on your precious outlaw."

"And you can fill me in on your fiance." Marian replied with a smile.

"I don't have one any more." Juliana responded as she took a bottle from her maid. "He died." she said simply before heading into give her father his medicine.

Marian stood and stared after the other woman. Juliana's voice held no emotion when she informed Marian that her fiance had died. She referred to her father as the 'old man', when once she doted on her father, now she seemed to act as though he was a burden.

"Not that tonic!" Sir Robert growled as Marian walked into the room. "That damned maid of yours doesn't know what the hell she's doing. Should have her flogged."

Edward's eye met Marian's and they both shrugged. Gone was the sweet man who doted on his children as much as they did him. And before them sat a grumpy old man with a penchant for swearing up a storm and belittling those around him, including his daughter.

No wonder Juliana's attitude had changed, Marian thought. A lot had changed over the years, just as Juliana had said. Marian just hoped they weren't all bad changes.